We certainly are blessed living in a fair climate that can support growing nearly year round.

Many garden crops do well in coastal Northern California during the winter months, but most need to be planted while it is still October, so that they germinate well and size up before it gets cold. There are several things to take into account in planting a organic winter garden, though.

1) Drainage—Be sure to build raised beds to plant your winter vegetables in; you may also want to incorporate some compost to lighten the soil texture.

2) Slugs and Snails— Snails are a nuisance all year, but slugs and snails especially like the wet weather. Try to eliminate their favorite hiding places (boards, plastic pots). The best way to control them is to pick them by hand at night or early in the morning and then, uh, "terminate" them. People who grew up in California often had this job when they were kids. Snails and slugs can destroy seedlings, so start your seeds in pots and then transplant the young seedlings when they have at least 6 or 8 leaves on them. Commercial snail baits are not only toxic, they are also not effective because of our heavy, sustained rains.

3) Plant Nutrition–you have already used up soil nutrients growing things over the spring and summer, so dig in some composted manure or alfalfa meal for nitrogen, or balanced organic fertilizer, as well as some compost, to give your winter vegetables the nutrition they need.

Plants that people have had success with in winter include

• garlic
• fava beans
• peas
• sweet peas (flowers)
• lettuce
• cabbage (a favorite of slugs and snails)
• broccoli
• beets/swiss chard (easier than easy, last all winter; beets taste great roasted!)
• leeks
• artichoke

For more information on winter gardening, and gardening in the Bay Area, see

Pam Peirce, Golden Gate Gardening (Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 1998).

The thought of deer grazing in a field can be a peaceful and calming mental image. Unfortunately, this image is quickly overshadowed when this fauna starts eating your flora…it’s Bambi the costly destructive destroyer, the bain of homeowners and growers. So how do we keep Bambi the destroyer from dining on your bay area landscape? In Marin County, where I do much of my work, deer are a serious nuisance and their population is exploding. Planting a thoughtful deer resistant garden does not need to be a monochromatic mash up of prickly shrubs and unappealing plants. FYGN specializes in Deer Resistant landscaping and can help you achieve a thoughtful balance and stunning landscape that is appealing to everyone but Bambi. Here is a variety of bulbs that flourish in the bay area growing zone that can keep deer from pillaging your garden courtesy of Marie Iannotti from about.com…

ALLIUM Ornamental onions are among the most deer resistant flowering bulbs. The most commonly know alliums have pom pom like blossoms on top of single, straight stalks. There is, however, a fair amount of variation in the species. Allium schubertii looks like a fireworks sparkler. Others, like Allium unifolium and Allium bulgaricum are bell shaped. You can find alliums in almost every color and height and their bloom times vary throughout the season. Allium are also rodent resistant.

• Height: Varies (4" - 4')
• Bloom Time: Late Spring - Early Summer
• Exposure: Full Sun
• Zones: 4 - 9

CROCUS The bright colors of crocus are a welcome sign that the soil is starting to warm. Crocus will even bloom in the snow. This versatile little spreader can be used as a ground cover or as an accent. Plant a few by your mail box to make the walk down to collect your mail worth it.

• Height: 4"
• Bloom Time: Early Spring
• Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Zones 3 - 9

DWARF IRIS ( Iris reticulata ) You get the familiar iris flower on a low growing, spreading plant that blooms early in the season. What's not to like. You can find Iris reticulata in blues, purples and white. They all blend extremely well with other spring bloomers.

• Height: 4 - 6"
• Bloom Time: Early Spring
• Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Zones: 5 - 9

EARLY STARDRIFT (Puschkinia libanotica) Another of Spring's blue offerings, this ttime ina pastel powder blue. Puschkinia makes a nice addition to the borer, but it also works well when allowed to naturalize and spread.

• Height: 4 - 6"
• Bloom Time: Early Spring • Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade
• Zones 3 - 7

Fritillaria - These plants add a touch of drama to your spring garden. From the dramatic, loud colors of 'Crown Imperial', to the speckles of 'Guinea Hens' (Fritillaria meleagris ), the deep purple of Fritillaria persica, the bi-colors and the creamy white 'Ivory Bells", Fritillaria will be noticed. They look exotic, but they are fuss-free, easy growers. Fritillaria are also rodent resistant.

• Height: Varies (10 - 24")
• Bloom Time: Mid-Spring
• Exposure: Full Sun to Shade
• Zones: 4 - 9

GLORY OF THE SNOW (Chinodoxa forbesii ) Similar to Scilla siberica, Glory of the Snow works best as a ground cover or naturalized in the lawn. Each bulbs provides multiple blue, star-shaped blossoms with white centers, that start to bloom as the snow is melting.

• Height: 4 - 8 "
• Bloom Time: Early Spring
• Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Zones: 3 - 9

GRAPE HYACINTH (Muscari) Sweet fragrance and a brilliant blue color have made Grape Hyacinth long standing favorites. This is the perfect little bulb for massing under trees that haven't yet leafed out. And it doesn't take many bulbs to rapidly sspreadinto a mass planting.

• Height: 4 - 7"
• Bloom Time: Mid-Spring
• Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Zones: 3 - 9

LILY OF THE VALLEY ( Convallaria majalis ) These aren't really bulbs, they're rhyzomes with buds on them, called pips. But Lily of the Valley are often grouped in with the spring bulbs because they bloom early and then disppear for the season and they like to spread and naturalize. More to our point, the deer don't like them. And the fragrance of Lily of the Valley can fill the air. The common variety is dainty white bells, but there is also a pink Lily of the Valley.

• Height: 6 - 12"
• Bloom Time: Late Spring
• Exposure: Partial Shade
• Zones: 3 - 7

SCILLA, SQUILL or STAR OF HOLLAND (Scilla siberica) These little charmers work best when allowed to naturalize in the lawn. They surprise you every year with a carpet of dazzling blue. If you find yourself looking out the window, searching for signs of spring, scilla won't disappoint.

• Height: 4 - 6"
• Bloom Time: Early Spring
• Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade
• Zones 1 - 9

SNOWDROPS (Galanthus nivalis) They look like snowdrops and they bloom while the snow is still dropping. If Galanthus has a drawback, it's that it can't take any heat. But just like crocus, Galanthus lets us know that ground is warming. Plant them near a door or walkway for the best view.

• Height: 4 - 6"
• Bloom Time: Very Early Spring
• Exposure: Sun
• Zones: 3 - 9

WINTER ACONITE (Eranthis cilicica) With its upturned petals and down turned foliage, Eranthis can form a thick clump fast. The yellow flowers generally bloom at the same time as Scilla and dwarf iris and make a nice complement.

• Height: 2 - 4"
• Bloom Time: Early Spring
• Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Zones: 4 - 7